Means and method of applying concrete



Oct. 15, 1957 T. R. vEssELs 2,809,866

MEANS AND OF APPLYING CONCRETE 7 Filed NQV. 13, 1956 INVENTOR. 74/500025 Z. VESSELS 014/ K ATTOZ/VEYS MEANS AND METHOD OF APPLYING CONCRETE Theodore R. Vessels, Escondido, Califi, assignor to Steam- Cote Corporation, Escondido, Calif., a corporation of California Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,866

6 Claims; (Cl. 299-62) This invention relates to means and method of applying concrete and included in the objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a means and method wherein a novelly arranged pair of conveyor structures form the sides of a nozzle through which a sand, cement, water, and steam mixture is jetted and caused to impinge on a surface disposed in the path of the mixture.

Second, to provide a means and method of applying concrete which does not require predrying of the sand, but lends itself particularly to conditions wherein the sand contains a nominal amount of water.

Third, to provide a means and method of applying concrete wherein the pounds-perhour of concrete which may be applied is substantially greater than previous means and method.

Fourth, to provide a means and method which is adapted to the application of concrete to pipe, particularly in conjunction with pipe-handling machinery capable of rotating and feeding the pipe rapidly in the path of the concrete mixture.

Fifth, to provide a means of applying concrete which is inherently simple of construction, capable of dependable operation, and particularly compact in relation to the quantity of material which it is capable of handling.

With the above and other objects in view, as may appear hereinafter, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a substantially diagrammatical side view of the means for applying concrete with portions shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through 33 of Fig. l.

The means for applying concrete includes a pair of conveyor belts 1, each of which travels over a group of three rollers 2. The group of rollers for each belt is arranged so as to provide a horizontal or feeding reach 3 and a vertical or nozzle forming reach 4. The vertical or nozzle forming reaches of the two belts confront each other and form therebetween a nozzle means. The horizontal reaches 3 are coplanar.

The rollers 2 are driven by means, not shown, so that the horizontal reaches 3 of the two belts 1 advance toward each other and the vertical reaches 4 travel downward.

Mounted above the horizontal reaches 3 of the conveyor belts 1 is a hopper 5, the lower portion of which is divided to form two legs 6, one located over each horizontal reach 3. The lower or discharge ends of the hopper legs 6 terminate contiguous to the horizontal reaches 3. The confronting sides of the legs 6 are provided at their lower ends with gates 7 which may be vertically adjusted to form with the horizontal reach 3 of the conveyor belt 1 a discharge slot of varying width.

Mounted within the space formed between the legs 6 is a steam nozzle 8, the lateral sides of which diverge downward, and the remaining sides of which converge downward so as to form a narrow downwardly directed 2,809,866 Patented Oct. 15, 1957 nozzle tip, substantially equal in width to the gates '7 of the hopper legs 6. The axis of the steam nozzle is centered between the vertical reaches 4 of the conveyor belts 1 and is located a short distance above the level of the horizontal reaches 3. The upper end of the steam nozzle 8 is connected to a steam line 9 having suitable valve means, not shown, and adapted for connection to a source of steam.

Mounted within the upper portion of the steam nozzle 8 is a water nozzle 10 which is directed downward and which is supplied with water through a water line. 11 having a suitable control valve, not shown.

Operation of the apparatus is as follows:

A sand-cement mixture A is delivered by any suitable means, not shown, to the hopper 5. The sand and cement is preferably thoroughly mixed prior to delivery of the hopper so that the cement is uniformly distributed. The sand and cement may be dry, however, a small amount of moisture is advantageous. The. water content, however, is substantially less than that required to hydrolyze the cement. The cement. referred to is conventional Portland cement.

The sand-cement mixture is deposited on the horizontal reaches 3 of they conveyor belts 1,- and .a layer of this mixture is drawn by the horizontal reaches 3 of the belts through the gates 7. The twotstrands or ribbons of the sand-cement mixture impinge against each other, intermingle, and fall between the vertical reaches 40f the conveyors.

A continuous jet of steam and water is directed downwardly from the steam nozzle into the nozzle means formed between the vertical reaches 4 of the conveyor with the result that the sand-cement mixture is impelled downwardly at high velocity. The resulting mixtures of sand-cement and steam-water combine to form concrete B which may be deposited on any surface exposed to the material issuing from the nozzle means.

For purposes of illustration, the concrete B is shown as being applied to a pipe C, which is rotated and advanced axially by suitable carriage means, not shown. it will be observed that the concrete may be applied over a relatively wide area and that the rate of delivery of the concrete may be extremely high; as the conveyor belts may travel at a substantial speed and the amount of steam and water delivered is determined by the size of the steam nozzle, which may be large, and the steam pressure, which may be high. Still further, the spacing between the vertical reaches 4 of the conveyor may be adjusted, and the gate aperture may be also adjusted as desired.

The conveyor belts 1 may be formed of rubber or other elastomer, and in view of the fact that'only a portion of each belt functions as a nozzle at any one time, nozzle wear may be reduced to a minimum.

The method of applying concrete consists essentially in establishing a pair of converging streams of sandcement mixture which are caused to commingle and pass through a nozzle slit and simultaneously impelling the sand-cement mixture as it enters the nozzle slit by a steam-water jet so that the resulting concrete mixture is discharged from the nozzle slit at high velocity.

Although steam is preferred as the motive fluid, it should be noted that compressed air may be used as the motive fluid, or a mixture of air and steam if desired.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is not intended to limit the same to the exact details of the construction set forth, and it embraces such changes, modifications, and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come Within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A method of applying concrete, comprising; feeding uniform ribbons of a sand-cement mixture from two 3 sources toward each other into mutual impingement; and directing a motive fluid-water mixture against said sandcement mixture at the region of impingement of said ribbons, to establish a high velocity jet of sand-cement and motive fluid-water mixture.

2. A method of applying concrete, comprising: feeding uniform ribbons of a sand-cement mixture from two sources toward each other into mutual impingement; causing said sand-cement mixture to flow downwardly between spaced guiding surfaces; and jetting a motive fluid-water mixture downwardly between said surfaces from a point above the region of impingement of said ribbons of sand-cement mixture, to cause a high velocity discharge of said sand-cement and motive fluidwater mixture from between said guiding surfaces.

3. A method, of applying concrete, comprising: establishing a pair of converging streams of a cement-concrete mixture; guiding the resulting stream between a pair of guide walls moving in the same direction as the resulting stream; jetting a motive fluid-water mixture into said converging streams at the region of confluence, thereby to impel the resultant stream at high velocity from between said guide walls.

4. A means of applying concrete, comprising: a pair of conveyors having converging feed reaches and confronting nozzle-forming reaches; means for delivering a sand-cement mixture to the conveying reaches of said conveyor for discharge therefrom into the region between the nozzle-forming reaches of said conveyors; and means for jetting a motive fluid-water mixture between said nozzle-forming reaches to eject the sand-cement and motive fluid-water mixture therefrom at high velocity.

S. A means for applying concrete, comprising: a pair of belt conveyors having converging feed reaches and vertical, confronting, nozzle-forming reaches; means for feeding a uniform layer of a sand-cement mixture onto each feed reach for confluence and flow between said nozzle-forming reaches; and means for jetting a motive fluid-water mixture at the region of confluence of said cement-sand layers and between said nozzle-forming reaches to impel the resulting sand-cement and motive fluid-water mixture at high velocity from between said nozzle-forming reaches.

6. A means for applying concrete, comprising: a pair of belt conveyors having a pair of vertical reaches defin ing therebetween a downwardly directed nozzle, and a pair of converging reaches discharging into said nozzle; means for depositing a continuous layer of a sand-cement mixture on each of said converging reaches, for confluence above and entry into said nozzle, thereby to flow unconsolidated and downwardly therethrough; and means disposed above the region of confluence of said layers of sand-cement mixtures for jetting downwardly a motive fluid-water mixture downwardly through said nozzle, to impel the resulting concrete mixture at high velocity from the lower end of said vertical reaches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,360,996 Anderson et al. Dec. 7, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,110,450 France Oct. 12, 1955 

